Founding Father and Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Network

Shaped by a life of service to Christ’s Church, Fr. Christopher has dedicated himself to using all the tools God has placed at his disposal to spread the light of Orthodoxy across the United States of America. Fr. Christopher realized from an early stage in his ministry that the message of salvation needed to be shared with people throughout the world and not just those who attend Orthodox Christian parishes. As founder and host of the Orthodox Christian Network and the “Come Receive the Light” national Orthodox Christian radio program, he founded a dynamic and rapidly expanding ministry bringing joy, hope, and salvation in Jesus Christ to millions of people throughout the world with his parishioners at St. Demetrios Church in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.

For many years OCN followed the growth in the media and technology world offering the latest in communicating the gospel through radio programs both land based and on line, podcasts, blogs, video and social media.  The numbers of individuals interacting with the OCN now are amongst the highest in the area of faith based media ministry outreaches.  In addition to his work in media, Fr. Christopher served as the senior pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for over 25 years. The parish was known for its progressive spirit and strong commitment to Christ. He was elected the 21^st President of Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in October of 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

A nationally known radio and television personality, Fr. Christopher co-hosted the groundbreaking, internationally televised Epiphany Celebration of Tarpon Springs, Florida in January 2006, presided over by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (coordinated by a team from The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) and seen on the Hallmark Channel. He was also featured in a 2012 television broadcast on TLC entitled “4 Weddings.” In May 2014, he joined a team of professionals from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and offered the live English commentary from Rome via Radio Vaticanna and EWTN for the worldwide televised broadcast of the historic meeting of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch BARTHOLOMEW in Jerusalem.

On November 2014, he returned to Rome to provide the English commentary on a second Radio Vaticanna/EWTN worldwide televised broadcast, this time in the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul in celebration of the Feast Day of St Andrew.

           

Fr. Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hellenic College of Brookline, Massachusetts, a Master of Divinity Studies Degree from Brookline’s Holy Cross School of Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His dedication to the family unit drove Fr. Christopher to be certified as a Family Mediator by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Florida. Fr. Christopher has also studied extensively at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. He has served the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese as Representative to the United Nations and United States Missions; Assistant Priest St. Demetrios Cathedral, Astoria, NY; Dean of the Assumption Cathedral in Denver, CO; Pastor of the Archangel Michael Church, Roslyn, NY; Director and Dean of Admissions of the Hellenic College and Holy Cross School of Theology; member of the Archdiocesan Council; President of the Archdiocesan Presbyter’s Council for two consecutive terms; and council member of the Metropolis of Denver and the Metropolis of Atlanta. He served as Vicar of the South Florida Conference from 1998-2011. In the summer of 2008, he was elevated by His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios to the rank of Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the blessings of the Holy and Sacred Synod, the highest honor bestowed on a married clergyman.  Fr. Chris is the Founding Father and Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Network.